Letters to the Editor, Jan. 19, 2026: ‘Winter of Alberta’s discontent’

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Braving the cold

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The Global National TV report showed hundreds of people lined up for blocks, standing outside at nighttime in the bitter cold of an Alberta winter. So, what actually would have people patiently lining up outside for hours at the coldest time of the year? These were the same conditions that had Toronto closing highways and schools. The answer to what motivated Albertans to stop everything and line up outside, like a Russian bread line, was to exercise their democratic right to sign a petition to authorize a binding referendum for Alberta separation. I told my Eastern Canadian friends Albertans were ready to crawl over broken glass to separate from Canada. They didn’t believe me. I warned them to dismiss the opinion polls on the issue. Albertans have learned to fear pollsters and as respondents to give only the false or pro-Canada ‘safe answers!’ People were cancelled for holding a funeral for their family member during the COVID restrictions. Albertans who made donations to the Freedom Convoy because they appreciated the hard work of Canadian truckers saw their bank accounts frozen by Canada. Even here in Alberta, I’ve heard of Opinion Page editors who have been told not to print pro-Alberta letters or media releases regardless of its merits. With this history of Canadian cancellations and punishments, the polls are wrong. A picture is worth a thousand words and people lining in the winter cold to vote to leave Canada is an accurate representation of Alberta’s winter of discontent!

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CHRIS ROBERTSON, Stony Plain

(Saying Albertans are ‘ready to crawl over broken glass to separate from Canada’ is a little strong. And no Opinion Page editor worth his or her salt is refusing to print a letter because it’s ‘pro-Alberta’)

Think ahead

Let’s do some research. A land-locked, independent Alberta, like many people seem to think they want, will be dependent on oil as their major economic thrust. That may be OK but at ‘current’ levels of use, there is maybe 40 or so years of oil left in the ground and 40-50 years of natural gas. With AI in the works, the massive amount of electricity demand required will deplete our resources much faster than anticipated, and when they are finally gone, what will Alberta do? Whether you like China or not, today they are using oil and coal, much of it coming from Canada, to establish a tomorrow that is sustainable. China controls 60% of solar, wind and battery equipment manufacturing capacity and over 80% of global-solar module output. It controls 55% of global rare-earth reserves and almost 70% of rare-earth production and refinement. China today has 60% of the world’s AI researchers and 70% of AI patents. It is today the world’s largest auto exporter and has surpassed Tesla by miles in selling EVs to the rest of the world. Maybe we ought to be planning a better outcome for future generations before making foolish decisions like our neighbours down south seem to be continually doing.

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RICK PATTISON

(Can’t hurt to make sure we’re not putting all of our eggs in one basket)

Gonna think on it

With all the separation talk going on, the most important question that’s not being asked by unelected Rath would obviously be, Who’s going to govern this independent country if it’s a ‘yes’ vote? Just randomly signing is a bad idea. I’ll take some pause before I sign. Thank you.

MIKE ERICH

(Yep, it’ll be an important vote if and when it comes)

Communist sympathies

Re: Warren Kinsella, “Rock and roll’s hateful mistakes must be acknowledged” (Calgary Sun, Jan. 11) The romantic 1973 movie The Way We Were includes scenes where our hero — played by Barbra Streisand — Katie Morosky inhabits a New York apartment where walls display portraits of genocidal Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Props intended to showcase Katie’s militant communist sympathies. Hollywood films that came after, like Reds and Che, were unabashed in the positive spin they gave to communist revolutionaries like John Reed and Che Guevara. On balance, you have to concede that a negative portrayal of the Nazis quantitatively far exceeds the negative portrayals of communists in our culture. A Nazi villain speaking English in a clipped Germanic accent is typically shorthand for radical evil. The commie villain, menacing his victim in a Russian accent, comes a distant second.

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OREST SLEPOKURA

(Kinsella’s column was nevertheless an eye-opener)

United we stand

For a quick lesson on why unions exist and why the rich and powerful hate them so much, try breaking a stick. Breaking one stick at a time is easy. However, if you take the sticks and bundle them together, then suddenly they are much harder to break. By banding together with people who have similar economic interests, you can exert much more political and economic power. So when people try to tell you that you don’t need a union, what they are really saying is ‘you should have no power.’

KEVIN ROBERTS

(Unions can certainly play a role in helping protect workers)

Hold ’em to account

If all these experts knew Calgary’s water was in jeopardy, and knew it but didn’t do anything about it, they have to, somehow, be held accountable.

KEN GLASSER

(Absolutely. People were clearly falling down on the job)

Used by Carney

Mark Carney convinced Eastern Canadians that he was running against Trump, not Poilievre, and he was the man to deal with Trump. Oops, that didn’t work, so now Carney is pivoting to China. How does the East feel about being used?

BILL CRAWFORD

(Not sure they see it that way)

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